Peace and order in any troubled region cannot be restored by killing its own people, says Mahmood Madani

New Delhi: Maulana Mahmood Madani, General Secretary of Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind on Sunday expressed his deep concern and condemned the killings of seven civilians, including a child, by security forces in Pulwama district of Kashmir.

"Such brutal killing is unacceptable in any parts of the world", he said.

"History testifies to the fact that peace and order in any troubled region cannot be restored by killing its own people", he added.

Mahmood Madani was responding to the killings of seven civilians as Indian troops fired on protesters Saturday after a gunfight left three armed militants and a soldier dead in the Pulwama district of Kashmir.

The gunfight broke out in Kharpora Sirnoo village after the government forces launched a cordon-and-search-operation following a tip-off about the presence of militants.

Though the encounter ended in 25 minutes with the killing of the three militants, the security forces had a tough time as people started climbing onto Army vehicles, the officials said. They said warning shots were fired but that did not deter the mob, forcing the security forces to open fire at the civilians.

Mahmood Madani however criticised the government's Kashmir policy and use of force and said that the central government should derive a lesson from its flawed policies in the state and initiate process for confidence building among Kashmiri people.

He also demanded from the central government to take punitive action against guilty security personnels and provide adequate financial compensation to the family members of those killed.

"Beside that a sense of responsibility can be created among security forces so that they may have a feeling that they are not above the law", he said.